High-pressure boiler feed pump

problem resolved using fluid dynamics expertise.

Client: Power generation facility.

Tough Problem: A critical high pressure boiler feed water pump, driven by a steam turbine, had been causing concern to the power house operators. High vibration levels had been noted on the equipment and traditional condition monitoring techniques had failed to identify the route cause of the problem.

Practical Solution: SVT's combined rotating equipment experience with a strong background in fluid dynamics enabled us to look at the problem with a different approach.

Real time multi-channel data acquisition equipment was utilised to see the effect of many parameters including vibration, speed, dynamic pressure, temperature, etc. This information was used to pinpoint the problem deep within the pump.

Having the right information to hand enabled the client to plan a pro-active maintenance program on the equipment. Following further detailed analysis by SVT, the client was able to implement a design change that ensured improvements in the reliability of the feedwater pump.